The Epidaurus Cavtat Festival has returned for the eighteenth year in a row with a rich and diverse programme, reviving the romantic south of Croatia through music and art. Under the theme and motto ‘Living Cavtat with Arts’ this year's edition of the festival was ceremoniously opened on Friday, August 30th, on the terrace of Villa Banac. The festival offers nearly a month of top-quality concerts, exhibitions, and artistic events.

At the Festival's opening ceremony, artistic director and pianist Ivana Marija Vidović expressed her emotions:

- Music and art make this world more beautiful, touching, and peaceful. Tonight, on this beautiful terrace, the music will speak for me because it is the most sublime part of the dialogue, understood by everyone, the whole world. I must admit that I am very excited to have reached the 18th edition, adulthood. There is no need for me to say much, just a big thank you, '18 times over,' for how grateful I am to everyone – and even to myself for enduring up to this anniversary - Ivana Marija Vidović sincerely stated.

The Festival was officially opened by the Mayor of Konavle, Božo Lasić, while Italian violinist Maria Molly Serena Salvemini expressed her satisfaction with participating in the festival just before her performance of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons.

Salvemini and maestro Daniel Rivera, two excellent soloists, performed alongside the Apulia Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra Filarmonica Pugliese), all under the baton of British maestro James Ross.

The festival continues this Saturday with the presentation of its rich programme at a ceremonial press conference in the Foyer lobby bar of Hotel Albatros at 7:30 p.m., followed by a concert by the Apulia Philharmonic Orchestra and their soloists at 9 p.m.

To conclude the first weekend of the Festival, on September 1st, a masterclass will be held at the Cavtat Cultural Center, led by pianist Daniel Rivera. The masterclass, open to the public, is an excellent opportunity for music lovers to educate themselves and enjoy artistic creation firsthand. On the same day, the Colors of Music exhibition by the Dubrovnik Association of Visual Artists (DuLU) will be ceremoniously opened. The masterclass begins at 6 p.m., and the exhibition opens at 9 p.m.

The Epidaurus Cavtat Festival, with its rich programme celebrating art and music, continues to infuse cultural life into this beautiful landscape. Once again, Cavtat has become a cultural hub where art and music intertwine with historical locations and natural beauty.